Monster of the Week au Oneshots
by AquilaMage
Summary: a series of fics connected to my loose au featuring Kay and Sebastian as private investigators dealing with weird supernatural events in their small town (and whatever auxiliary stuff that happens as well) chapters added whenever I happen to write something in this concept
1. First Five Minutes of a Monster Movie

Klavier grinned as they made their way out of the hallway and into the main area of the restaurant. They'd been on the road for a while without running into a place that would let them perform, so the fact that the owner of the first place they'd tried in this new town had accepted had absolutely made their day. Now, minutes away from getting to start their set, they had to restrain themselves from exploding with giddy energy.

It also had the side effect of distracting them, so that the moment they stepped out into the wider room was also the moment they bumped into another person with enough force that they stumbled backward.

Fortunately, the other person was steadier on their feet, managing to grab Klavier by the arms before they hit the ground. "Are you okay?"

"Ja, I'm-" As they got to their feet, they took notice of the young man (about their age, they'd guess) who still had a light grip on them. Klavier softened their gaze. "I am now."

"Good." There was an expression of genuine concern on his face, just fading down from active distress as he spoke. And maybe it was the angle Klavier was at, but the equally sincere relief he displayed was absolutely breathtaking.

Klavier dropped their voice to a stage whisper. "Although, I think I'm still a little dizzy. You should sit by the stage in case I need someone to catch me again." They gave a hopeful look.

He frowned, mouth slightly open and eyebrows raised. "Are you sure you should be performing then?" A hand went to check their forehead and maybe steady them again. "If you're not feeling well you shouldn't…be…" He stared at them even harder for a second, before his eyes widened. "Oh!" A small laugh as the tension left his body, a hand going up to his mouth to cover the slightly messy smile that was forming. "_Oh_. I uh, yeah. Maybe I should."

Klavier slid away from the last of his grip, shifting so that they ended up with their hand in his. When he started to pull away from their grip, they paused, looking at him. After a second, he stopped, the flash of emotion that Klavier thought they'd caught fading from his face. Keeping their gaze on him, they slowly drew his hand back towards them, placing a delicate kiss against his fingers through the glove of his hand before letting go. "I'll look forward to it, then."

He pulled the arm to his chest. Ducking his head so his bangs fell in front of his face, he brought a hand up to his mouth again. Although with how flustered he was, the giddy expression was pretty much impossible to hide even then (which, Klavier realized, they were very thankful for).

"Well, I'll go get set up, ja?" With one last look, they turned and started across the room.

"It's Sebastian, by the way," he called out just before they'd made it onto the small stage in the corner, audible but only because the room was mostly empty.

In the glance Klavier threw back to him, a little too far to call back or stop their momentum, they noticed the way he'd perked up, watching them intently. They gave an enthusiastic nod, and an exaggerated wink back.

_Sebastian._

Oh, Klavier _liked_ this town.

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It was all Klavier could do to keep from bouncing in their chair as they started their first song. Sure, they'd been playing for themself practically every day, but it had been _so_ long since they'd actually gotten to _perform_, and that was a completely different atmosphere. Getting to share in the energy with other people, and although they would rarely admit it, the chance to show off a little, was something they could never get enough of.

They meandered their way through the first couple selections, mind not really anywhere, as they'd practiced enough that it was no real effort to call the music forth. It was the closest they could get to a meditative state, mind stopping from jumping around and just…existing in the moment. It was a nice warmup too, getting used to the sound of the space, since they hadn't rehearsed there.

It was probably about fifteen minutes in when they finally looked up properly. They weren't too surprised to see that the room was still mostly empty; it was before the main dinner rush would have been expected. The owner had mentioned that when she'd agreed to take them on for the evening, wanting to save the prime times for a few of the locals who liked to rotate the occasional performance. It wasn't the most ideal, but Klavier could understand, especially in a small town. And besides, the fact of the matter was that they were being allowed to play at all, and even being paid a little.

What really caught their eye, though, was one of the tables a couple dozen feet away and just slightly out of their peripheral vision. That was where Sebastian was seated, currently in conversation with a member of the wait staff. When they left, he seemed to notice the gaze on him and gave a shy wave barely off the surface of the table.

Klavier ended up absolutely fumbling their way through the end of that song, but it was completely worth it. Taking a second to compose themself, they had to suppress a grin when they started up the next one. So far, everything they'd played had been instrumental, again a suggestion from the owner, since the idea was for it to be more of a 'providing ambiance' than 'entertaining' thing, but since she hadn't _forbidden_ it…

The beginning vocals drew the notice of everyone who was there, and in fact kept the attention of most of them for the entirety of the song. They did have a really nice voice – years of practice and vocal training – and this particular song did a good job of showing that off. Not that that was the main reason why they'd picked this particular song. If they'd really had free reign, they might have even gone with one of their own they'd created over the years. But in an effort to keep with the calmer vibe of the other music, they'd gone with the first love song in that feeling they could come up with, and simply poured as much of their own emotion into it as they could.

When the song concluded, there was a smattering of applause, but Klavier could only be bothered with the response of one patron. Chancing a glance over Sebastian's way, they were rewarded with a blush as he attempted to hide behind the collar of his jacket. For a second, they worried they'd overdone it, but then he gave another wave: this time even smaller and under the table where no one else could probably see it, but there nonetheless.

Klavier could barely contain themself as they felt their heart swell, and now they _definitely_ were bouncing in their seat. That energy carried over to the next few songs, back to instrumental but more upbeat. It helped that every once in a while, they'd catch sight of Sebastian watching from the corner of their eye.

Eventually they mellowed back out to the calm ambiance, playing in a half-present state. As the next hour and a half, about, progressed, they found themself being increasingly more distracted as the place started to fill up for dinner time proper, and as a result spent most of the time playing with their eyes closed. Even so, by the time they'd finished and made their way to a back office to check in with the owner, the usual post-performance shaky excitement was still there. After getting their pay and a not-quite-committal remark on allowing them back, they half-stumbled back into the main area.

That rush had faded a bit by the time they'd circled the place twice, finally plonking down at the bar. They'd _thought_ they'd seen him at the end, but it seemed that either that had been incorrect, or Sebastian had disappeared since then. It wasn't enough to sour their spirits, though. The amount of interaction they'd gotten with him had been more than they might have expected at the beginning, not to mention he hadn't exactly said anything about meeting later. Besides, Klavier didn't even know why he'd left. It was sad, but not the end of the world.

The atmosphere in the restaurant was warm, especially now that it was packed, and the food was good, all of it leaving Klavier swathed in a residual haze of comfort as they walked back to their car. It was probably that feeling, in part, that compelled them to drive past the edge of town and over to an area they'd passed on the way in. They sighed as the road made its way to parallel the coast, the sound of the ocean against the cliffs clear with only the engine as a competing sound. Eventually, they pulled around a few trees, parking so their car was just obscured from the road while only a few dozen feet from the cliff side.

The sun was just setting as they settled near the edge on a blanket they'd pulled from the back seat, the light and color creating a gorgeous effect on the water. They sat watching for a bit, got up and brought their guitar back, and stayed there until it was fully dark, drinking in the scenery and idly plucking out whatever notes came to hand.

Eventually though, they found their head getting heavy, and decided it would be best to turn in for the night. And while they usually tended to stay in a hotel or the like, with the late spring warmth keeping the nights comfortable and the way they could already see a dazzling array of stars coming into the night, Klavier decided tonight seemed a good one for camping out. Setting up the tent they kept in the trunk was a practiced effort, taking less time than it did to change and undo their hair and makeup from the evening. Before settling inside, they took one final look out onto the landscape, given some shadow and depth by the light of the partial moon.

They sighed contentedly. Now this was the kind of place they could get used to.

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Sometime in the night, Klavier was awoken by the thick sound of wood snapping. Pushing themself up on their arms so their upper torso was up off the ground, they turned their head to listen for any other noises. And then, after a second, something shifted in the pattern of waves crashing, the rhythm slowly taking the shape of something reminiscent of…heavy breathing? Klavier shook their head. Just the fact that they were half-asleep.

They'd just lain down again when there was a thud of something against metal. Now, they froze. _That_ was definitely something. The thing was, Klavier had no idea what it was. It hadn't been that windy, so it was probably some sort of animal? Not that they could remember now, half in their sleeping bag and keeping as still as possible to hear any more clues, exactly what was supposed to live in this area. And while they _could_ just stay in here, sitting in the dark was getting less appealing by the second. Especially since they could swear that the sound of the sea was getting louder again.

The time it took to open the side of the tent was maddening as they slipped the zipper down bit by bit in the effort not to make even the slightest noise, hands trembling. When it was finally all the way undone (they were not taking chances with leaning on it and accidentally forcing it to open more and making noise), they stuck their head out, peering in the direction of the sound.

At first, they couldn't make anything out, just the outline of their car against the greater darkness of the trees behind. But as their eyes adjusted, Klavier realized that there was a shape on the ground near the cliff. They couldn't make out anything more, only realizing why when the thing shifted. It was translucent, and as it extended part of its form to the air above their car, almost as if it were leaning over it to inspect this foreign object, part of it caught the moonlight and refracted it out almost like glitter. But instead of points of light, Klavier saw it as a pattern of fluffy specks.

Right. Slowly, they leaned back into the tent to retrieve their glasses case, thankful they'd decided to bring it over instead of assuming they'd go right to contacts in the morning. They pried it open with both hands, keeping an eye on the shape, which seemed to be keeping put and not paying attention to them for the time being. If they could keep it that way, that would be-

And of course, the moment they took the glasses out and their hands off the case, it snapped shut with a solid _tunk_.

There was a loud noise, this slightly more animate than the ones from before but still clearly from the same source, and the being was moving toward them in a dazzling display of light.

Klavier instantly tripped over themself in their effort to get up while still half-encased in tent and sleeping bag. There was a sound like the creaking of a tree in heavy winds, and a rush of air over their head as they scrambled free. They started for the car, but then the thing was flowing around from behind them, body seeming to stretch around in an arc to cut off their route. Skidding, they turned around and bolted.

They didn't know exactly how long they ran, propelled by the sound of the water even above their own breathing and crashing progress through the forest. The next time Klavier was really aware of anything beyond making sure they didn't run into anything was when they finally tripped over what was probably a branch and went stumbling into a bush.

There was a moment of panic as they realized they'd dropped their glasses, until some hurried fumbling retrieved them. As Klavier placed them on their face for the first time this evening, they also realized that the sounds of their pursuit had faded away. Of course, it was anyone's guess if that meant they'd lost it, or if it was simply that it had paused somewhere right near them.

Well, since they seemed to have the time, Klavier took a minute to catch their breath again. Then, since nothing had eaten or mauled them yet, they cautiously reached forward and pried apart the branches in front of them to peer out. Nothing. With exaggerated care, they poked their head out and checked all around. Not a single shadow out of place, and certainly no glittering. Just to be completely sure, they slid their glasses down their nose and looked around with them off. Still nothing. Breathing a sigh of relief, they sat back down.

And then it started raining.

"Of course," they muttered to themself. It seemed like this town really wasn't interested in doling things out in half-measures. Getting to their feet, they looked around. Klavier faintly remembered that they'd originally run towards town, starting off parallel to the road, so if they went _this_ way…

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"And what, the monster just _disappeared_?" The officer leaned back at his desk, chuckling. "Look, uh…"

"Klavier."

"Gesundheit. Look, kid. It sounds to me like _someone_ was just having a little too much fun last night, and perhaps got a bit carried away with whatever they were consuming." He gave them a look over his sunglasses, tone one of someone who's already made up their mind and sees everyone else's agreement with them as an inevitability. "Now, from what I hear, you were camping out in an off-limits area. I'm willing to let that go, though, seeing as you're not from around here." Getting up, he gestured towards another desk. "I can arrange you to get a ride back to your car. But I find you out there again and it's going to be trouble, understood? That area's not exactly known for having the most stable ground; it's not safe."

Klavier's attempts at protesting were waved off, and they soon found themself standing there listening to him explain the situation to another officer. It turned out, however, that it would be a while before that officer would be ready, and they were instructed to come back in about an hour and a half.

Sighing heavily, they pulled the towel they'd been given tighter over their shoulders. The tile was still cold against their feet, but at least they weren't dripping anymore. And at least they _had_ a ride back, rather than having to spend who knows how long walking, they tried to console themself, to little help.

This town sucked.

"Uh, excuse me, pal?" A large man in a green trenchcoat stepped up next to them. Leaning down to their level, he whispered. "Listen, I heard what you were saying before, and," he fumbled around in his pockets for a minute before producing a card. "there's a friend of mine who might be able to help you out."

Taking the card, Klavier stared at it for a minute before looking up at him. "Danke. I- I'll see about that."

"No problem, pal! But, uh," he went back to a whisper again. "Keep it between the two of us, if you can? I'm not really supposed to advertise. Competing business, you know?"

Well, at least there was someone helpful here. They nodded, slipping the card into the drier one of their sleeves as they made their way towards the door. Since they had the time and not much else to do, exploring this new option seemed at least slightly more reasonable than anything else.

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"…Wait, it _glittered_?" The young woman shifted how she was sitting on the desk, lying across it with her head hanging down the side so she could watch them.

"Well, the light certainly bounced around like it does if you shine a light on something covered with it." Klavier shrugged. "It was hard to tell, since I couldn't see well." Propping their head up with one hand that was leaning against the arm of their chair, Klavier watched her scribble something down with such a serious expression of intent that they were just as worried by it as they had been by the police officer's bored disbelief.

She flipped to the next page in her notebook. "Weird glitter blob thing, apparently into cars or something. Gotcha. What else?"

They'd just gotten a bit further into the story when the front door opened. "Kay, we still have those files from the theft case from last month, right?" The newcomer barely even paused in taking off his jacket as he took in the scene in front of him.

"Of course. We're a _serious_ and _professional_ PI duo, aren't we?" she said, kicking a leg into the air as she rolled off the desk.

Had Klavier had the mental space to think about it, they would have been grateful to the exchange for giving them the time to process the situation. At the moment, they were a bit more occupied with how much their mind and heart had begun racing.

_Sebastian_. Klavier had hoped they'd see each other again, but this soon, and under such circumstances, weren't exactly what they'd been picturing.

He turned to them, a hesitant smile. "Sorry for interrupting." To Kay, "I'll be back to help in a minute." As he turned to walk towards the other side of the room, something clicked in Klavier's mind.

There was no air of recognition in any of his actions. And, after a moment of panic, that made sense, they thought. Last evening, they'd been reasonably dressed up, makeup and hair done up as well. Compared to them sitting here in a t-shirt and sweatpants, large-frame glasses, completely disheveled, wet and muddy and probably covered in leaves, they honestly couldn't say _they_ would even recognize themself after last night's events.

That didn't stop Klavier from internally screaming as they realized it, though.


	2. Gifts and Gestures

I wanted to make farafey fluff happen, so I did. (I don't know if Maya's level of knowledge about the Fey magic here is what I'm going to go with for 'canon', but it works here, so)

* * *

"…I think there's a piece missing." Maya turned the jar around to show a jagged edge along the lip.

Sitting with her legs out on either side, knees bent, Kay leaned forward with her hands on the top of her feet for balance. "Are you sure?"

A deep sigh. "I've had to look at this thing for years. Trust me." Setting the urn carefully down next to her, she pushed herself off the floor. "Knew there was gonna be a piece under that _map_."

"Oh, let me get it."

"I couldn't make you…" But Kay had already moved, so she just dropped her hand back to her side.

Kay dragged herself forward on her stomach to search the middle underneath of the table. "It's fine!" Fumbling in her pocket for her phone to get a light, she immediately banged her elbow on the low underside of the display table.

"Careful!" Maya checked the inside of the table under the flat layer of glass, but the scale model of Kurain was still perfectly intact. They'd already had enough of a time fixing one display this evening.

A moment of shuffling, and then Kay emerged holding a blue shard of clay. "Got it!" She shook the front of her shirt off. "Surprisingly not as dusty as you'd think down there."

"They- …We" she rolled her eyes, "have a pretty strict policy about keeping _everything_ clean." As she reached to take the last piece of the urn, her hand brushed against Kay's. Her body let out the tiniest gasp at the brief warmth, and just as quickly it was over. For a moment, her mind was a blank, a numbness where she didn't even realize she was spaced out.

As her attention slowly faded back in, she noticed both of them were staring at the inch or so of empty space now separating their hands. At that moment, they simultaneously realized what they were doing and quickly turned away. "I should put this back." She waved the piece around as if it weren't obvious what she was talking about.

"Yeah." Kay went back to dusting herself off. Even as Maya completed the final touches of fixing the urn, she hung back and watched. At this point she _really_ didn't have an excuse to stick around. She should just head out, but…

Maya gestured to the finished piece with both hands and a shrug. "How's this?"

She pretended to examine it like a collector, squinting intensely, a hand on her chin. "Rub some dust on the inside of the display case and no one'll know the difference."

A laugh. After they'd safely transported the urn back to its proper location, she ran a hand through her bangs as her gaze darted towards and away from the other woman from fear of being caught staring again. "Thanks for staying to help," she said, softly.

"I wasn't going to let you have to do it alone." It had obviously been a decision she'd made, but she'd never really considered doing anything else. For several reasons. Some of which were pretty selfish, but Kay tried to ignore those right now as _rude_, especially given the context.

Maya thought to protest that Kay hadn't been the one who had broken it, but knew the easy answer was that it hadn't been her either. Besides, once she thought about it, she didn't know why she was so insistent about retroactively trying to get rid of the other. She _liked_ spending time with Kay (even if it did come at the expense of having to deal with obnoxious tourists who insisted on coming to the museum fifteen minutes before close). So instead, she traced her fingertips across the surface of the front desk. "I still appreciate it." Pause. Impulsively, she added something in the vein of things she'd been wanting to say for a while now. "Let me walk you back to your car."

She looked up from the pamphlets she'd been idly playing with. "Nah, it's not that far." Tilting her head, eyes shut, she crossed her arms. "Besides, I don't want to keep you at work longer than you've already had to be."

Something clicked for her. _Maya_ had stopped thinking about this as "work" once she'd locked up, and more as "oh god I have to fix this or Aunt Morgan's gonna _kill_ me (oh well, at least I get to spend time with the cute PI who sometimes comes into town)." But if _Kay_ had still been thinking of it like that…

Was she really being so evasive because she was worried about bothering Maya while she was working (even though Maya thought she hadn't been _that_ subtle in trying to flirt with her)? Maya desperately hoped so. It was actually really cute. Not to mention that it put a lot of things in perspective, especially the first time they'd encountered each other. The Faradays had been there all of five minutes before ducking behind one of the taller shelves to have a hurried conversation, which had ended with Kay pushing Sebastian out towards the desk to go talk to her.

Well, guess she'd just have to find out. "Give me a minute." And before Kay could say anything, she dashed into the back area.

Kay had to calm her expression when Maya came back a few minutes later. It was only a t shirt half tucked into high-waisted shorts, but she still looked _really_ cute in that outfit.

She hefted her bag over her shoulders. "There. I'm officially clocked out, so now I can officially ask to accompany you on my own time, because I'd like to."

"Well," this time, Kay didn't bother to hide the excited grin. "Who am I to refuse a lady?"

Maya giggled and, offering her arm, led them out of the museum.

It was a comfortably warm summer evening. As they walked down the path, the lights in the trees lent just a touch of something ethereal. They didn't talk until reaching the edge of the parking lot, both content with the bit of extra time they were spending together.

As they separated, Kay gave Maya's arm a tiny squeeze. "I'll see you later, then?"

She nodded. "Maybe you can show up sometime when neither of us is working." Maya was perfectly satisfied with how this had gone, but if she could nudge things towards more in the future, she certainly wasn't going to miss the opportunity.

There was a light in her eyes that told Maya she made the right call. Kay put a hand to the edge of her scarf, striking a bit of a pose. "Yeah!"

Now for the last, only slightly more planned-out, bit. She stuck a hand in her pocket. "Oh, I…have something for you." Pulling out an oddly shaped gold pendant on a chain, she held it in front of her. "It's called a magatama. They're supposed to have magical properties and protect the wearer."

"Is that something you're allowed to just give people? Seems a bit special for that."

"Nah." She held it over for Kay to take. "That's what these small ones are _for_." Her heart went through some interesting tumbles watching Kay immediately start to put it on. Slightly disconcerting, but nice. It also had the side effect of distracting her from what she was going to add on until after the magatama was safely secured around Kay's neck. Now it was her stomach's turn to twist, accented by a lightness in her head. Asking her to take it off right away wasn't really on the menu, and the next option was bold, but hey. It'd worked out pretty well for her so far. She reached out and took the magatama in her hand. Allowing herself the first hint of a teasing smile. "Besides, it's not magic yet. Supposedly."

Kay watched her with a genuine interest that was either a result of belief that this was all possible or a willingness to pay attention to anything because it was Maya doing one talking, Maya couldn't tell. Either way, she nodded for her to continue.

In order to do this next part, she had to step forward, bringing the two of them less than a foot from each other now. She could see a faint scar running below Kay's mouth and wow her eyes were a stunningly bright green how had she never noticed that before. "To actually work, it has to be charged by someone with spiritual powers…" Attempting to keep her hand from shaking as much as possible, she held the magatama up to her face and gently kissed it.

That probably wasn't how charging it was supposed to work, but no one had ever told her how it was actually done. Not that it mattered, because none of this was a thing anyway. The real point was that Maya was trying to make a gesture. And judging from the wide-eyed look Kay was giving, it definitely worked. "There," she said, letting the magatama gently drop. "That should do it."

"Thank you." Kay's voice was soft, as were her eyes as she watched Maya step away. A hand went to touch the jewel, fingertips resting on the spot. "I'll make sure to wear it when I'm out investigating. You know, to keep me safe." She gave a lopsided smile.

Maya found herself wishing she was back inside, where she could at least lean against the desk to hide her shaky legs. Instead, she clasped her hands together and nodded. "Of course!" At least her voice was steady. More enthusiastic than normal for even her, but that was accurate to her feelings right now anyway, so it was fine.

The smile deepened. "See you. Maya." The name was pronounced almost imperceptibly slower, just a bit more care allocated to it. With the same graceful force she always seemed to move with, Kay turned and walked over to her car.

It was with only a _little_ bit of giddy satisfaction that Maya watched Kay fumble getting the door open when she looked back at her one last time.


	3. Starlight

Kay and Maya and a seaside date night

* * *

Kay picks Maya up from Kurain at an appointed meeting spot just outside a dip in the road, off the village border. She drives the two of them down the winding mountain roads as the sun sets. Maya can't help but stare at her in that comfortable, hazy, lovesick way – and as soon as they stop she has to pull her in for a kiss, soft and slow and not tasting of anything in particular apart from each other and all the more special for that. Kay beams and leads them out and down the shoreline that's more rock and grass and cliffside than sand to a clearer area where a group from town has set up a little bonfire.

They dance. Those big, energetic communal dances you can't help but get swept up in the swelling power of. Maya stumbles a bit, less familiar than the others, but they're always careful to trade her between them to guide her. From Kay to Sebastian to Ema to Simon to Klavier and around and around and around. All of them breathless with laughter and energy that's its own special kind of magic. Ones where everyone just kind of does what they want in a big cluster. Pair dances. Fast: spinning apart and back together again, Maya's skirt whirling out around her, Kay several times lifting her off the ground with what at the time feels like no effort at all. And then the slow ones: holding each other closer than strictly necessary, honest first attempts at doing a proper step devolving into that 'gently spinning in circles' thing most people do, the feeling of their bare feet tracing across the sand that's just beginning to cool, lingering glances that mean nothing in particular except that they want to look at each other.

It's during one of these that Maya slowly guides them away from the group until they reach the spot where the incoming waves just pass over their ankles. They stand there a moment, still and silent but for the water.

They walk along the shore, hand in hand, accompanied by the clear, bright tapestry of the stars above

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By the time Kay and Maya make their way back to everyone it's well and truly dark. They pile up next to their friends in a huddle of limbs and leaning on each other's shoulders and watch the fire burn down to embers as other people mill around, far more subdued than earlier. It's warm and comfortable.

Kay nearly falls asleep sandwiched between Maya and Sebastian, stumbling to follow when they finally pick up to go. They say their goodbyes and she lets Seb drive in favor of piling in the back to hold hands with her girlfriend. Curled up together, the deep shadows of the mountain paths are a comforting backdrop.

When they're finally back where they started, Maya presses their foreheads together for a long moment, squeezing her hands. Lets out a sigh. Slips out of her grasp with the flowing grace of a spring. "That was nice." She hesitates only a second, brushing sand off her leg. "Maybe we can do something again soon?"

"Yeah. I'd like that." She hangs out the window as Maya heads off, watching her vanish into the distance before plopping back down with a happy sigh.


	4. The Mundane

As they make their way onto a deserted stretch of mountain road, Klavier ups the speed on their motorcycle. Not enough to be dangerous, but just so they can really feel the wind against their face, hair trailing out behind them from under their helmet. They take a deep breath. It's a lovely crisp evening to be out like this. Once they've looped their way through the scenic routes of these winding roads, they'll head home for some-

There's an intense flash of light just behind a rock formation by the side of the road, accompanied by a sharp crack.

Klavier skids to a halt, a good distance away from pure inertia. One foot down for balance, they look back. The brightness has faded, the area they would guess it came from now an unremarkable portion of the scenery. No distinguishable sounds either; at least, none that can be heard over the low rumble of their engine as they walk closer. (Never hurts to be safe. They wouldn't consider themself superstitious, they've been out here at this time before and never encountered anything, but they've never _stopped_. And they've heard the local legends: both the overdramatic kitschy ones to keep tourists coming in and the ones only told at small, local places among residents, in more solemn tones. It's…not the most helpful set of memories to be springing up right now. And even if it is just wildlife, there's still plenty out here to be cautious about.)

But then, they catch a murmur of voices. Still cautiously, they switch off the motorcycle before they fully cross the path of a large boulder in the assumed site of incident. When they get past it, they're greeted by the sight of a small group of people just stumbling down the hillside toward the road.

Before they can react, or even absorb much more information than that, one of them calls out.

"Klavier! Can you give us a lift back into town?"

It's _Kay_, waving at them, tone cheerful and seemingly oblivious to the bizarreness of the situation. Although, since it's coming from her, not nearly as weird as it otherwise would have been.

At least, until they shift their attention around more. Kay's dirty and generally scuffed-up looking – Klavier can't see enough of her skin to tell, but something about her definitely suggests bruises, maybe something else. Coming up behind her is Herr Samurai, supporting a woman they faintly recognize but can't quite place. He's got one of his swords hanging at his side; she is much less mussed than everyone else but walks like someone who's pulled a double shift all-nighter without caffeine. Ema notices them, frowns, crosses her arms – one looks hastily bandaged. And then-

Then there's Sebastian, in about the same state as his sister, although there's something _different_ with him they can't figure out, and _now_ worry is really eating at them. One of his sleeves is shredded up and that's definitely a cut on his face and he's not even looking over here he's looking back at-

Klavier's brain does the mental equivalent of a record scratch. Because just behind him are Herr Badd and Herr Faraday. Sebastian and Kay's parents, the ones who have been _missing_ for the past few years – probably the most visibly worst for wear out of all of them, but still making their way largely by virtue of leaning on one another.

They stare for a good long moment. Details get taken in, but so far the facilities to actually interpret them aren't responding. Then, finally, they respond in a voice that feels disconnected from themselves. "…You realize this only fits one other person at a time, ja?" They indicate the motorcycle.

"Hm." She considers for a moment. Then, "Sebastian! You can go back with them and get the car for us."

There's a bit of hesitation (Klavier notices him glance back at his dads again and they can't blame him – _whatever_ it was that happened, he's just gotten them back), but then "okay."

"Ach, you're sure you don't want me to call someone else?" A sudden spike of worry hits them. "Medically. I don't want anyone being more hurt."

Everyone exchanges a bit of a look, very briefly. Then Herr Faraday smiles. "Nah, nothing that serious that we need to bother anyone else."

They nod. As Sebastian walks over, they retrieve the second helmet from the side of the motorcycle. "Here."

Up close, it's a bit more obvious the state he's in. The scratch on his face has barely scabbed, his hair is loose around his shoulders and definitely has a few things caught in it (they have to stop themself from reaching out to tidy it). But he smiles as he takes the helmet, and that lifts Klavier's spirits.

"Ah, right," they mutter to themself. "It's going to be a bit loud, so do you want" They lean down to their bag and extract a pair of earplugs.

His mouth opens, eyes widening momentarily. "Yeah." A bit shyer, "thanks."

They merely shrug (Sebastian doesn't do well with loud sounds, and even if he usually has things to deal with it himself, they made the point to put the earplugs in their bags, just in case.) "it's no trouble."

Over at the group, Kay mutters something to the woman, who she's now seated on the ground next to, her head on Kay's shoulder (_right_, that's Kay's girlfriend! They'd been introduced briefly once: they'd been at the Faradays' to get Sebastian out of the house for the evening so the two women could have some time to themselves). She giggles, and Kay smirks at them.

That gets forgotten pretty soon, though, since Sebastian is ready to go. They swing a leg back over the motorcycle in a practiced motion, holding it steady in place for him to get on.

He does with little issue. "Is it ok if I…?" He circles his arms around Klavier's waist, not touching them yet.

"Go ahead."

And they don't need to tell him to hold on tight. Very securely clinging to them, he leans in against their back, head pressed against their shoulder.

It's nice. There's a definitive solidness to the touch, a way for Klavier to remind themselves that yes, this is real. (Besides, they've always enjoyed how casually Sebastian gets around people he knows. Almost never having to ask, and when they do, they know it's not going to be taken badly.) "Ah. Put your feet up here." Then, when they're sure he's ready, "I'm going to start it now."

He grips even tighter when the motorcycle starts at full force, but after the first minute or so (Klavier keeps them slow but reasonable, aiming for the shortest path, glad that the late hour means empty roads and even fewer hard angles to take than usual), he relaxes into something almost comfortable.

xxxxxxxx

Before long, the motorcycle pulls to a gentle stop in front of the Faradays'. Sebastian waits until Klavier has the engine off and their feet on the ground before he tries to move. Even then, he still keeps a bit of a grip on Klavier as he climbs off.

There's a ring of cold around them and against their back, which they try to ignore. "Sebastian?"

"What?"

"Do you want me to go back and get my car too?"

He blinks, frozen holding the helmet up since he's just taken it off (his hair is even messier than before – squashed down or windswept, and Klavier has to hold back a smile). "Huh?"

"You can't fit everyone in your car, ja? It will save you an extra trip."

"But I don't want to put you more out of your way than we already have."

They wave it away. "Nonsense. I'm happy to help."

A little openmouthed smile forms on his face. "…okay! Oh, meet you back there then?"

"Ja."

They're just starting the motorcycle back up when Sebastian starts and turns around back towards them. "Klavier!" He holds out a hand. "These are yours."

It's the earplugs. They don't point out that he could have waited the few minutes until they meet up again, just take them back and then, with a smile and a wink, drive off for real this time.

Getting back to their place is a short trip, one well-worn into their memory by now. Once they're in the car, though, they shrug themselves out of the comfortable meditative state – they have to concentrate to make sure they head for the right stretch of highway again. But they make it back, just behind Sebastian it seems.

They hop out of the car and make their way over to where everyone is congregated now, around the open back door of the other car. As they approach, it's obvious they're all talking about _something_, but the conversation halts before they're close enough to hear.

They're about to ask if they should give them a minute when Kay springs up over the door. "Hey! You good taking Ema and Simon home?"

"Ja, of course. What about," they scan their memory for a moment, "Maya?" Actually, she's not in sight, now that they're noticing.

"She's coming with us for the night." She taps the window next to her. With a little smile, "Was already falling asleep. And I mean, none of us want to deal with Kurain right yet anyway."

_Kurain_? Well, they'd guessed she couldn't have been from in town, but that was a decent way's from here (and…interesting, at least from what they remembered from the once they'd been to the village). "Alright." They swing their keys around their finger. "Let's rock."

And, well, they're _about_ to go get back in the car, but as Simon catches up with them, he grabs them by the shoulder and spins them around to face the Faradays. When they give him a look, he only smiles and tilts his head at where Sebastian is standing, watching in their direction.

They meet in the middle of the two cars. "Thanks again," Sebastian says. The light in his eyes mellows out a bit. "Uh." He twists the edge of his jacket in his hands. "About… this. Stuff."

It's at about that moment that they realize, faintly, that everyone else is in a car, doors closed. Just the two of them, out here in the mostly-dark. "Was?" They try to keep an upbeat tone, hoping it's the right way to go.

"Can you…promise not to tell anyone about this?" Right after he says that, he shrinks into himself, starts tugging the section of fabric that's between the part in his grip. "Not that it's anything bad! It's just- It's complicated."

Oh, he's nearly crying now, they don't know if they can handle that without trying to hug him, which they know he won't respond well to unless they say something beforehand. Klavier doesn't know what about any of this could even garner such a stress reaction, but they lean forward, voice low and steady. "I swear I won't tell a soul."

That shakes him out of it a little. "Oh. Okay." He takes a deep breath. With a shaky voice, "thanks."

"It's no trouble at all." And they think they've said that half a dozen times tonight, but they really mean it, now more than ever. "Just get home safe, and try not to worry about anything else for now." They run a hand through their hair. "And if you need to talk, let me know." A slight pause. "Ach, well, I suppose not about this, since-"

"No! I mean," he shrinks again, but this time less tension, more shy almost-smile. "I think…I want to explain, but it might be a while. …Is that ok?"

They nod. "Take all the time you need."

"Thanks," he says softly. He relaxes, full-eyes closed smile, and that's the only thing Klavier can think about the entire way home.


End file.
